POST-QUANTUM INTERNATIONAL SECURITY

20 February 2020

#QuantumOffence and #QuantumDefence. The end of cyberspace as we know it? The new Kosciuszko Institute’s policy brief written by Andrea García Rodríguez, Andrea Marzeth Padilla, Robert Siudak is newly published!

Back in 1971, Thomas Kuhn wrote that the way science affected socioeconomics development was through technology, and the way societies ‘felt’ technology was through technological revolutions. In the field of physics, the first quantum revolution at the beginning of the 20th century changed the way we perceive the world by solving some of the inconsistencies of classical mechanics that eventually allowed the creation of the laser and transistors – the basic elements of computation systems.

The second quantum revolution that we are witnessing now aims to apply the characteristics of quantum mechanics to Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). Quantum knowledge applied to today’s technological advances promises exponential improvements in numerous fields. Through simulation, it could help to develop new drugs; with quantum sensors, it could allow for more precise defect detection in key aircrafts components; by boosting imaging and computation capabilities, it could revolutionize key industries such as manufacturing, fintech or smart mobility.

Moreover, this quantum revolution will have an especially profound impact in the field of cryptography which currently serves as the basis for secure processing and exchange of digital information. Consequently, the development of quantum solutions accompanying the second quantum revolution lies in the necessity to guarantee the security of the most valuable resource in the modern world – information.